


Flames

by lionwolves



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fix-It, Thoschei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-22 12:03:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22149139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionwolves/pseuds/lionwolves
Summary: The Master finds the Doctor at the ruins of Gallifrey.
Relationships: The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who), Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 149





	Flames

The Doctor stares out helplessly at the ruins of her home planet, the flames burning fiercely across the land for as far as her eyes can see. 

It doesn’t feel like the Time War, she notes pointedly. There are no innocents running to safety or soldiers fighting an endless war against the Daleks. There is no one to save. 

Now, Gallifrey is completely devoid of life and hauntingly silent, and it makes her feel cold and empty inside. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

The Doctor doesn’t bother turning around to look at the source of the voice behind her. 

Nor does she bother questioning  _ how _ he is here, how he escaped that dimension, or furthermore  _ why _ he decided to come after her.

“I knew this was where you’d come,” The Master says, as if he could hear her thoughts. 

He can’t, she knows, not unless they make contact, but she still makes sure that her thoughts are shielded just to be safe. He simply knows her too well. 

“Now you see it, Doctor. My masterpiece. The planet of what was once the greatest civilization in the universe... burning,” He continues, a clear sense of pride in his tone. “As it should. Because this was all built on a lie.”

She can sense him move closer to her, and sees in her peripheral vision when he steps to her right side, but she still refuses to look at him. 

“If you knew what I knew, you’d do it, too,” The Master says. 

“I wouldn’t,” She bites back, more fury behind her tone than she had anticipated.

He sneers, pleased at the reaction he elicited from her. “You did, though, once upon a time, didn’t you, Doctor? You burned Gallifrey.”

The Doctor finally turns to look at him. “To end the Time War!” 

“What difference does it make?” The Master yells. 

The Doctor searches his brown eyes for a moment, finding that she cannot give him an answer. 

“That settles it,” He says.

“Settles what?”

“That we’re truly not different,” He tells her. “We do the same things for different reasons. You’re just morally righteous enough to think your reasons are always right.”

The Master backs away from her for a moment to take a look at the ruins before them.

“Stop kidding yourself, Doctor,” He tells her. “Running from your past. You don’t tell your friends the truth of who you are because it means you don’t have to admit it to yourself.” 

“What do you want? For me to be just like you? Would that satisfy you? Would you stop this madness for once?” The Doctor questions. 

“Oh, my dear Doctor. You already are,” The Master says with a sigh. “I just want you to admit it.”

The Doctor turns away from him and doesn’t respond, determined not to let him win this recurring argument. 

The Master walks back over to her and leans in close to the side of her face. “You really are stubborn, my dear Doctor.” 

When the Doctor finally turns back to him, she closes the distance between them and presses her lips to his in a rough kiss. 

The Master deepens the kiss and grips her hips to pull their bodies flush together. 

He is the one who pulls away to look at her. “Are we going to do this on our burning home planet? I mean, I suppose it does have a certain poetry—“

“No, we’re not,” The Doctor answers, pulling away from him in order to walk over to her TARDIS. 

The Master clears his throat, masking disappointment. “Of course.”

The Doctor looks back at him as she stands in the open doorway. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Oh!” He exclaims in pleasant surprise, then realizes the irony. “Yes.” 

Shaking her head, the Doctor takes his hand and pulls him inside of her TARDIS. 

She takes them away from Gallifrey and into the vortex before they find the nearest bedroom. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a sort of consolation or even catharsis for how things ended between the Doctor and the Master in Spyfall, Part 2. I wanted more. Even though this is rather short, I hope y’all enjoy this.


End file.
